Do Better

"Do Better"  ●

Last Summer, I came across this quote by Maya Angelou. I loved the quote, and decided to use it in a Scrabble assemblage piece. 

So far I've made 4 using the same quote. The first 3 can be seen here. Each one is different and unique, yet the message is the same. They have all sold. I think it's because the words are simple, yet poignant and powerful:

"Do the best you can (un)til you know better, 

then when you know better, do better." Maya Angelou

                      

 Found wood and vintage wooden hanger are covered with various papers and tissue, scrabble tiles spell out the quote. Chop sticks and metal embellishments finish the piece.

My apologies to everyone for my absence on this blog . . .  after the holidays, we went away on vacation - we spent 10 glorious days on Kauai, and then after we got home, I think I just got lazy about posting . . . But I am back now, hoping to get back on to my weekly posting schedule.  I am far behind, and have lots of new work to show you. 

 

Husband Walter and a glorious sunset, Kauai, Hi

 I do hope everyone is doing great.

It's a New Year, with new opportunities to make good art!

Sweet Virgina

"Sweet Virginia" ●

Thank you for your wine, California

  Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits

"Sweet Virginia" is the title of a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, recorded by the Rolling Stones sometime between 1971 and 1972.  It's an old favorite of mine.

I was reminded of the song when I saw the above quote at a local eatery, written in chalk, on a sign next to the front door . . . I looked up, I saw it, I liked it and I wanted to create a 'scrabble' art piece with it.

I will tell you this: there is an intentional 'mistake' in the quote.  Can you see it?  (HINT: it is not a misspelling). Actually I made 2 adjustments to the quote, I call it "artistic license".

This assemblage was made using 'travel scrabble' tiles. You can see from the image below, they are much smaller than regular scrabble tiles.  A metal piece from a 1950's erector set, crowns the top of the vintage wooden frame I found at a barn sale.  The grape cluster embellishment was formally a napkin holder . . .
 

this image shows the wooden frame before the papers were applied . . . . 

 

Thank you for stopping by.  See you next week.

Do Better . . .

"Do Better"

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a piece, titled "Do The Best You Can" on this blog.

I was working on it during my 'open studios' weekend, and one of my early visitors said, "please call me when this is finished, I want to buy this piece to hang in my office . . ." 

Well, wouldn't you know, on the last day of open studios, another visitor fell in love with the then finished piece and bought it. So the following week, I got busy and made a new one for the first customer.  (she said she like the color purple, so I used more purple colors on her piece).

Then, I decided to make a third piece to hang at the gallery.  Here are all 3. All are similar, but each is one of a kind. 

The quote, by Maya Angelou: 

"Do the best you can (un)til you know better, then when you know better, do better."

"Do Better" ●

"Til You Know" 

"Do The Best You Can" ●

1" thick piece of oak butcher block covered in bits of text, images and tissues is the substrate for these. Scrabble tiles framed in wood spell out the Maya Angelou quote. A vintage wooden hanger tops each piece and a metal embellishment finishes each one.

Do The Best You Can

"Do The Best You Can"●
Dr. Maya Angelou passed away last month. A few weeks before her death, I started working on a scrabble art piece with one of her quotes, a favorite of mine. I finished it last week.

"Do The Best You Can (Un)til You Know Better, 

Then When You Know Better, Do Better"

 ****

Dr. Maya Angelou April 4, 1928 -May 28, 2014,
A remarkable woman who lived a remarkable life.
I started this post a week ago. There is so much that can be said about the life of Maya Angelou, a truly amazing human being. The post became long and repetitive, soon I realized there was little I could add to what has already been written about her life and the lessons she taught us.
In the end I felt I could not do justice to the extraordinary life that was Dr. Maya Angelou.

Instead I will attempt to live my life in a more meaningful way by remembering her words:

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry;

to get my work done and try to love somebody 

and have the courage to accept the love in return.”

Rest in peace, Maya.

First Kiss

"First Kiss"
Another tribute to wine county.

"We are all mortal, until the first kiss and the second glass of wine.  ~ Eduardo Galeano

Wine colored scrabble tiles with white letters spell out the quote.  On the front of the wooden cigar box frame is covered in tissues and text and embellished with 2 metal grape leaves.  On the back side, soaring birds overlaid with pattern tissues.  The piece is ready to hang.





AVAILABLE: $175 plus shipping

Birds on Wheels

"Birds on Wheels"
A sweet wall hung piece depicting two birds on wheels. Foundation is a wooden plaque that has been covered in various papers.  The wooden birds have been painted with bright acrylic paints and perched slightly above wheels that spin.  Scrabble tiles spell out "Birds on Wheels".

Kisses and Wine . . .

"Kisses and Wine" ●
Living in 'wine country', I love all things 'wine'.  
A couple of years ago, we were wine tasting at Smith-Madrone Winery, located on the border between Sonoma and Napa counties. 

In their cellar, this quote written on a chalk board that the owner told us came from a bar somewhere in the mid west, caught my eye, and I knew it had to be captured in an assemblage piece.

"We are all mortal, until the first kiss and the second glass of wine.

 ~ Eduardo Galeano

Burgandy Scrabble tiles with gold letters, a bamboo frame and bits of broken tempered glass create this piece of Sonoma County 'wine art'. A side wood panel from a wine crate, is covered in hand made papers and overlaid with sewing pattern tissue. An articulated wine bottle brooch, with a tiny corkscrew, wine glass and grapes, accent, while a beautiful green 'feather' butterfly, finish the piece.

First Kiss

"First Kiss" ●

"We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine." - Eduardo Galeano 

Living in Wine Country, this has become a favorite quote.  

A nicely beveled piece of wood found at the flea market was used as the substrate for this piece. To snugly hold the scrabble tiles, I created a frame using wooden chop sticks. The entire frame is covered, front and back, in vintage text with a tissue overlay. A copper butterfly finishes the piece.

"First Kiss"

"First Kiss" ●
A dear friend from Chicago came to visit last month. She had made special arrangements for us to attend a private wine tasting at Smith-Madrone, a winery in Napa. The tasting took place in the small but efficient, and authentically dusty wine cellar, where we were entertained and charmed by Charles Smith, the owner-winemaker. He shared with us many interesting stories of his 40 years of making wine in this beautiful vineyard/winery setting. 

Looking around the cellar, there were many things that caught my eye, and Charles generously shared their history with us. One item that was of great interest to me was a funky black board, the kind you might see at an old neighborhood tavern, with the following quote written on it, in chalk:

"We are all mortal, until the first kiss and the second glass of wine."

Eduardo Galeano

I am always on the lookout for quotes I can use in my scrabble art pieces.  

Needless to say, this is one is my new favorites.  

A small cabinet door found at my local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, is collaged in layers of colorful tissue and over-layered with sewing pattern tissue. Scrabble tiles spell out the quote, and 2 butterflies finish the piece.  Ready to hang.  14" x 5"
(click on image to enlarge)

"More Alligators"

 

"More Alligators" ●
This is an analogy, often stated in business, about how unintended consequences can assume greater importance than the activity originally undertaken.
The entire quote reads like this:

Our mission is to analyze the situation and through foresight and 

advanced planning, avoid or circumvent problems before they arise.

Should the unexpected occur, then our aim is to swiftly and 

efficiently arrive at a workable solution, however, 

"WHEN YOU ARE UP TO YOUR ASS IN ALLIGATORS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO 

REMEMBER THAT YOUR INITIAL OBJECTIVE WAS TO DRAIN THE SWAMP." 

 (most people only remember the last part)

I have made a few of these in the past.  I love making them, and people really seem to like them.  A couple of weeks ago I made one and it was sold and out of my studio before I could even get it photographed.

I currently have 4 other works in progress on my studio table, but this one was the first of the bunch to get to the finish line. The wood frame that holds the quote spelled out in scrabble tiles, is collaged and covered in several layers of tissue, bits of text, images and sheet music. Orange chopsticks add a splash of color and a toy rubber alligator finishes the piece. Ready to sit on a desk or hang on a wall.